SENADIN, MIRI – Sixty-eight adults donated blood at Senadin Methodist Preaching Centre (SMPC) on last Sunday, March 13 with most of them from Curtin University Campus.

The mobile event was organized by the Miri Methodist District Social Concerns Ministry in collaboration with the Miri Hospital Blood Bank.

SMPC Pastor-in-charge Rev Jabez Tiong led by example by donating his blood. “This is my fourth or fifth time,” he commented. The good shepherd also praised the donors for their care and love for the Miri community and encouraged more people to come forward for the next donation to ensure that the Blood Bank has a constant supply of fresh blood.

First timer Curtin undergraduate Adam Tiong was jittery initially but eventually overcame his fear. Here is his sharing:

Last year when the blood donation campaign was hosted by Senadin Methodist Preaching Centre, I was too scared to participate. I am very scared of blood! Anyway, this year i decided to just give it a try as the importance of donating blood is too high to be put off by my fear. After the morning service, several volunteers including myself began setting up the workstations for the campaign. After setting up the workstations, there was nothing else to do but to begin donating! So I gritted my teeth and went through the procedure. First, there was registration where the donor’s personal information was recorded, followed by a blood test. Next, a doctor will ask after the donor’s medical history, present physical condition and check the donor’s blood pressure. Then came the actual blood donation. I was told to sit at the donor’s chair and wait for my turn. After a few minutes, my blood pack was ready and the procedure began. A small injection was made first to numb the area where the needle to draw the blood from the donor will go. When the actual needle for donating blood went in, there was no pain, so i was quite relieved! However, I was still quite scared at seeing my own blood flowing into the blood pack. Nevertheless, by talking to some friends and looking around at the donation activity, pretty soon the 450ml blood pack was full and I was done! They took out the needle and swabbed the area with an alcohol tissue, then asked me to rest to ensure the hole closed completely. A complimentary snack pack of soya bean milk, biscuits and a boiled egg was passed to each donor. All in all it was an interesting experience, and the feeling of achievement at donating blood which might one day help save the life of a patient is something wonderful to experience. All the glory to God and a big thanks to Senadin Methodist Preaching Centre for hosting this event!

by James TC Wong, GMC, Miri
(This story was first published at gmc.org.my on Mar 15).